How this new program pairs ESL literacy for the whole family with financial literacy

NEW BEDFORD — Youth and adults will be able to advance their English language learner skills in tandem with financial literacy through classes at the Discovery Language Academy. 

Beginning Sept. 14, the English literacy program for ELL students of the Southcoast community will be offering free evening courses each Tuesday and Thursday from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the DeMello International Center on Union Street. The program is backed by a $15,000 community impact grant from United Way of Greater New Bedford to improve the English language literacy skills of ELL children in Southcoast schools, according to DLA Executive Director Leslie Vicente. 

The program is set to run from September through May, with the support of BayCoast Bank. Originally, the program was scheduled to end in December, but with the extension, the program can recruit more students at various English as a second language levels. 

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With a $10,000 grant from BayCoast Bank, participants will also learn financial literacy skills of managing money. 

“Immigrants are afraid to go to the bank and cash a check,” Vicente said. 

BayCoast Bank employees Bruno Freire, Community Reinvestment Act Loan Officer and Evelyn Ranone, Vice President/Community Development Officer of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion will be offering instruction on how to open savings and checking accounts, the function of a debit card, credit score and more. The lessons will be open to participants in Spanish, Portuguese and Cape Verdean Creole. [Editor's note: The Standard-Times rents office space from BayCoast Bank]

“Some don’t even have credit scores,” Vicente said. “They think if they have a bad credit score, it holds them back from thinking they can buy a house. If anyone can show proof of income and a steady job, it’s them.” 

“Our partnership with the Discovery Language Academy in AELP with Family Support is a great opportunity for the Bank to further our mission of providing meaningful solutions to our customers and the communities we serve,” Julie Ramos-Gagliardi, First VP for Corporate Giving and Community Relations said in a press release. “Financial Literacy is an important tool for everyone, and we are happy to share these lessons with the immigrants participating in this program.  We recognize that that by working with DLA, the benefits of this program will extend far beyond the students in the classes and also to their children and families, as well as the community at large.”   

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ELL literacy for the whole family 

Vicente said the major goals of the program are to recruit 25 participants and provide intensive classroom instruction which is rigorous but enjoyable. The youth ELL Literacy program will meet at the same time as the adult ESL education program, intentionally set up to service the whole family at once. 

“The best option would be for both parents and kids to come,” Vicente said. “Everyone gets educated as a family. The family becomes a self-advocate for children and strengthens families in the community.” 

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The youth program is open to ages 6 through high school and the adult program is open to the general public. Teachers are contracted through New Bedford High School. Although the programs are free, registration is required through the Discovery Language Academy. 

The DLA is hoping to fill all 25 seats. With a small class size, it allows for one-on-one interaction between teachers and students as listed in the proposal. Two teachers from NBPS, Shantel DaSilva, Ph.D. and Milagros Rodriguez, finishing her Ph.D. will head each of the youth and adult programs, respectively. 

The DLA is working with the New Bedford Housing Authority to find affordable means of transportation for families to attend classes. With the DeMello International Center located within walking distance of the bus station, it makes it more accessible to those without private transportation. The school is providing vouchers for buses and other means of transportation that cost money with funds from the grant. 

Over the summer, the DLA held a pilot program in partnership with the NBHA. An ESL class for adults ran from July 6 through July 29 every weekday from 9 a.m. to noon. A youth ESL class piloted at the same time and received letters of support from NBPS Superintendent Thomas Anderson and Greater New Bedford Voc-Tech former superintendent James O’Brien, according to Vicente. 

“We maintain an intense focus at New Bedford Public Schools on providing our students with innovative multiple pathways to learning and so we are always happy to partner with other educational organizations like the Discovery Language Academy whose mission and goals align with ours – particularly when it comes to English language learners," Anderson said in a statement. "Developing multilingual abilities is a lifelong learning skill that will be an asset throughout life. DLA provides a unique setting downtown to be able to pursue fluency beyond the classroom in English, Spanish and Portuguese.”

Vicente hopes the program will assist ESL students who have been impacted by the pandemic.

“Traditional public schooling has disproportionately invested in children along racial/ethnic and socioeconomic lines, resulting in educational gaps in literacy skills during the middle grades between historically marginalized students and their more affluent peers,” Vicente wrote in an email. “Due to COVID19's remote teaching procedures, more than ever, ELL students' social, emotional, and academic needs have been negatively affected. Through the English Literacy Language Program, students will receive much-needed academic literacy skills.” 

Standard-Times staff writer Kerri Tallman can be reached at ktallman@s-t.com. Follow her on Twitter at @kerri_tallman for links to recent articles.

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